Tattoo artist Raven Smith is blunt and hard, broken and jaded, dark and beautiful. While she doesn’t hide her painful past, she does keep a wall around her heart. She’s free sexually—but no one gets to the real Raven beneath the prickly exterior.

With a voice like smoke, Jonah Warner is a smooth-talking, highly successful attorney, with a body that should never be hidden by a suit. He’s the kind of man who never takes no for an answer and always gets what he wants. And what he wants is Raven. She’s a survivor, and he finds that incredibly alluring.

Jonah gets under her skin in a way Raven has never experienced. He makes her break all her rules—including her no-monogamy rule.

But when a figure from Raven’s past shows up at the tattoo parlor and drops a bomb into her life, their relationship will face the ultimate challenge…

MATURE AUDIENCE

The Review:

Drawn Together, the sixth installment in Lauren Dane’sBrown Family series, is an emotionally and sexually intense novel between a tough as nails tattoo artist and an über wealthy lawyer.

Right from their first sexy as sin encounter, Jonah Warner challenges Raven Smith. Sexually, he pushes her to embrace her (very surprising) submissiveness. Emotionally, he shoves past all of her carefully built and well-maintained barriers. With Jonah breaking all of her rules, Raven even agrees to a monogamous relationship. But when her past collides with her present and shocking revelations turn her world upside down, will Raven trust Jonah with the secrets of her past and ultimately, her heart?

There is absolutely no doubt that Raven is a strong and well-adjusted woman. She unapologetically embraces her sexuality and she is upfront that she is not into monogamy. She is also loyal and loving and turns into a big old pile of mush when it comes to her friends and their adorably cute kids. Raven is honest to a fault and there is no room for game playing in her life. She has no difficulty speaking her mind and if someone needs to be taken down a notch or two, Raven won’t hesitate to do it.

Jonah comes from a privileged and wealthy background but he is surprisingly down to earth. He is rock solid and amazingly comfortable in his own skin. Jonah knows what he wants and likes, and he goes after it. Does he sometimes push Raven too hard? Absolutely. But he also recognizes when he needs to back off and give her some much needed space. Jonah not only gets her, he accepts her, warts and all.

Raven has some serious issues in her past. By all appearances, she has made peace with her childhood and moved on. But the closer she gets to Jonah and the more he presses her to open up, the more obvious it becomes that she has not really dealt with her problems. Her “rules” are a defense mechanism that Jonah may not understand or like, but he does respect her need for them. Jonah becomes Raven’s catalyst for change over the course of Drawn Together and once she is finally able to fully reveal her secrets, true healing finally takes place.

There is a very strong BDSM element in Drawn Together. Raven and Jonah jump into a sexual relationship very early on with Jonah taking the dominant role. Jonah knows nothing about Raven or her past when he puts her into a submissive role and while the sex is hot, I did have a problem with this one area of the storyline. Unless you know upfront that both partners are into this type of sex, a serious discussion about limits and safe words should take place before restraining and spanking your partner.

Friends and family play a strong role in Drawn Together. Several characters from previous novels in the series make guest appearances. These scenes are quite heartwarming and beautifully showcase Raven’s softer side. Raven’s interactions with Jonah’s family are a mixed bag of well-placed barbs, out and out confrontations and a few aww, sweet moments. Pretty much a good representation of everyday life that make you laugh, seethe and cheer depending on the situation.

A great read with a colorful cast of lovable characters, Drawn Together is a vibrant story of healing that has a great deal of heart and plenty of deliciously naughty sex. Old and new fans of Lauren Dane are sure to enjoy this latest addition to the Brown Family series.

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The Week Ahead Dec. 11-17

This week's book reviews:
December 11: Bel, Book and Scandal by Maggie McConnon (Recent Release)
December 12: You’re Gonna Love Me by Robin Lee Hatcher (New Release)
December 12: Bury the Past by James L’Etoile (New Release)
December 14: Unnatural Causes by Dawn Eastman (New Release)
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December 11: Maggie McConnon
December 12: G.B. Gordon
December 14: Viki Lyn
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December 11: As You Were, Cowboy by Heather Long
December 12: Operation Greencard by G.B. Gordon
December 13: West Coast Love by Tif Marcelo
December 14: How to Blow It with a Billionaire by Alexis Hall
December 15: Only You by Addison Fox
December 16: It Takes Two to Tumble by Cat Sebastian
December 17: Holiday with a Twist by Shannon Stacey
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